1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of in-ovo egg vaccination and, more particularly, to a compact in-ovo egg injection machine with a transversely movable rail system for placement of incubated eggs into the machine for injection and removal from the machine after injection.
2. Description of the Related Art
In-ovo egg injection machines are known in the art and are used effectively to inject a plurality of eggs with vaccine or other substance as desired. The INTELLIJECT® in-ovo egg injection machine is manufactured by the present assignee and its basic structure and operation are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,096,820 (“the '820 patent”). The '820 patent is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
By reference to the '820 patent, the INTELLIJECT® in-ovo egg injection machine 100 includes a longitudinal track 150 by which eggs in conventional incubation trays 168 are moved from an injection section, generally designated by the reference numeral 130, at the front of the machine to an egg transfer section, generally designated by the reference numeral 132, at the back of the machine.
In the injection section 130, an injection assembly 131 includes a plurality of injectors 204, arranged in a pattern corresponding to that of the eggs in the egg tray 168, which are lowered into contact with the eggs. The eggs are then injected with a vaccine or other desired substance, after which the injector assembly 131 and injectors 204 are raised, and the egg tray 168 is moved rearwardly along the track 150 to the egg transfer section 132 by pusher assembly 280. A complete description of the automated steps by which the egg tray 168 is moved longitudinally through the in-ovo egg injection machine 100 using the pusher assembly is set forth in the '820 patent. The egg injection and egg transfer sections are also fully described in the '820 patent and therefore will not be discussed further herein as pertaining to their basic operation.
Another solution is the INOVOJECT® machine marketed by Embrex Corporation which uses two needles, one inside the other, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,635. The larger needle or punch penetrates the egg shell by using force, and the inside needle is then pneumatically pushed into the embryonic cavity at high speed. The eggs are injected and transferred by an automated transfer apparatus from the incubating trays to hatching trays.
The INTELLIJECT® and INOVOJECT® in-ovo egg injecting machines, as well as other such machines on the market, are relatively large machines and are best suited for the large volume hatcheries which can afford the high cost of such machines and have the available space for their operation. On the other hand, smaller hatcheries which have fewer eggs to inject also need an automated egg injection capability in order to provide for safe and effective vaccination of developing embryos at a reasonable cost. This is especially true for small hatcheries which process eggs with multiple type incubator trays, thus necessitating multiple machines, and/or which have small available machine space. Accordingly, a need exists for a smaller, less expensive in-ovo egg injection machine that can be procured by smaller volume operators at a lesser cost and which can be accommodated in a smaller floor space.